My sister and I were in Hawaii recently. One afternoon I paused to look at a small, showy garden, but it was this fresh, new shoot, that kept me there enthralled. The closer I looked, the more details I saw and the more interested I got. I lost myself in looking at the subtle colors and patterns. One day we took the road to Hana and stopped at the Ke'anae Arboretum. This was the highlight of the trip. There were Rainbow Eucalyptus trees, gingers, tree jasmines, bamboos and a favorite, a Blue Marble Tree with bright blue, one inch seeds.
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On the way to the airport, we had our only rain. The fuzzy light and soft colors appealed to me as much as the sun appealed to the sunburnt tourists we left behind.
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On the way home from Maui, I stopped in TX to visit a close friend and her husband. As part of my sight seeing tour in Amarillo, we went to Tri's Market. There, I was beside myself in the produce section! I know that I puzzled a few shoppers and employees by photographing the fruits and vegetables, from Daikon,Taro and Sugar Cane (pictured) to Dragon Fruit. These natural palettes and surfaces, and all the graphics they conjured in my head, created an excitement for me unparalleled by the finest art museums. Some could say that I'm easily entertained, but I'd respond that I feel all the richer for it.
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I am an artist not because of what I create, but because of how I look at the world. In exchange for opening my eyes and becoming vulnerable to the environment, I receive the best and worst of what's out there. I choose to delight in what I see; the colors soothe and inspire me, the textures intrigue me, and I see patterns forming everywhere. All together, they help me keep my balance when crowds get to be too much and the world starts to spin. (Emma and Kitt help as well, but in a different way.)
I absolutely adore these colors and textures... I see beautiful baskets from you, and quilts (from my mind, and my quilting sister-in-law) from these shots.
ReplyDeleteI loved my old micro lens in my film camera. What camera are you using for these shots?
I do so miss my first Pentax Macro! Now, I usually use an older Olympus with manual over rides and "a" close-up setting.
ReplyDeleteI say usually because I was gifted an iTouch with which I shot the landscape and sugarcane. The resolution in it isn't great but knowing that, it frees me to play without trying for the perfect light and focus.